Until That Day
by LonelyWriter42
Summary: Human beings were really such fragile creatures. Life depended on so many variables that it was almost impressive that humanity had managed to survive but they would not survive much longer if more children were not born.


Until That Day

Author: Lonely Writer

Summary: Human beings were really such fragile creatures. Life depended on so many variables that it was almost impressive that humanity had managed to survive but they would not survive much longer if more children were not born.

Disclaimer: I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

...

Humans were really such fragile creatures but also so resilient. Life depended on so many variables it was almost impressive that humanity had managed to survive. Hange Zoë picked up another piece of paper she had uncovered deep in the bowels of the Scouting Legion's library. Documents describing the life humanity had before the titans appeared were rare and handwritten notes like these were even scarcer. The fact that the notes were written in a language Zoë could not read didn't bother her since she had discovered someone else's half scribbled translations tucked into the bundle.

That someone had taken the time to painstakingly copy the original notes and then make notations all over the page before translating the passage at the very bottom of the paper. Zoë was certain with enough time she would be able to translate the notes on her own using those two glorious pages as a guide. As close as she could be certain the notes were written in a language from before the Walls called Français. She knew that nobles within Sina sometimes used a bastardized form of the language when they did not want common people to know what they were saying. Zoë understood enough of the noble's language Françoise to know when someone was speaking ill of her but she had never thought it necessary to actually learn the language.

There was one person she knew spoke perfect Françoise though. Levi was an enigma in the Scouting Legion. He professed a thug background and yet he managed to have the manners of the top nobles when he wanted to. Zoë was quite sure that thugs wouldn't take the time to learn the language for the people they were mugging yet Levi not only spoke Françoise, he came to the Scouts able to read and write as well. Zoë was quite sure that thugs who had use for writing and reading were very few and far between.

Zoë continued to look through the papers and found one that showed the last census before the Titans started their rampage. Zoë's eyes widened when she read the numbers on the page. Could humanity really have been as numerous as the billion mark claimed? One of the things that bothered her most was the fact that she knew humanity would soon go extinct from their own efforts. Children were required for humanity to continue but every year less and less were being born. To keep the population steady two children in each family was required-one boy and one girl to replace their parents when it came time for the next generation to find a mate. But she knew most couples were only having one child-especially those in the districts-because of overcrowding. It was a no win situation. More children meant more mouths to feed but less mean that soon there would not be a human race left.

Thoughts about no more humanity always intrigued her because that would mean there was no more purpose to the Titans. If there were no more humans what would happen to the Titans? Would they shrivel up and die eventually or would they continue as the paradox against life they already were? Most people laughed at her and called her eccentric when they were being nice and a waste of humanity when they weren't because she worried about Titans but in truth she merely wanted to understand them so she could bring about their destruction.

A different thought snagged her attention and she found herself wondering if she would ever be allowed to contribute to the population problem. Then she chided herself for thinking in such scientific terms. She took a deep breath and allowed that place, deep within the vaults of her mind to open up and the longing to sweep through her body. She rarely let the thoughts out because they usually left her in a somber mood but the ache was too strong tonight after reading about other children born long before she was a twinkle in her parent's eyes. What would it be like to hold her child in her arms? Would the child look and act like her or would it take after its father? Whenever she imagined a baby there was only one man she ever thought she would have a child with but he was not father material. And plus she couldn't have a child now. She was much to valuable to humanity as a whole to quit the military to fulfill a fanciful longing.

After these thoughts had spun themselves in her mind several hundred different ways and she knew her emotions wouldn't get the better of her she finally decided to go find the irritable Captain and ask him his thoughts on the matter of the manuscripts she had found.

She knew he would still be up-insomnia ruled the Scouts and anyone who could sleep more than four hours at a time was begrudged. She knocked softly once then opened the door. Since it was her he didn't react-probably since she came and saw him almost every night. Levi's cold grey eyes followed her progress across the room and when she finally arrived in front of him he snapped his book shut.

She gave him a faint grin before dripped to the ground in front of him with a tired sigh. Levi was an conundrum to the Scouts, sure he was a brilliant soldier but the way he truly acted under his thug façade made her think of the nobles in Central City. Even now he was studying her without saying anything and she could see the gears of his brain working to figure out why she chose to bother him this time. He still had his normal frown on his face and Zoë now knew now this was just his default setting-slightly annoyed with everyone and everything.

"I'd ask you why you're here but I'm sure you'll tell me," he sighed.

Zoë grinned. "I was going through old research notes and found a box that is not mine. They are all written in Françoise or something though so I've only been able to pick up the gist of them. I was wondering-" She trailed off and gave him her most brilliant grin.

"You want me to translate them for you," he finished for her. She nodded and picked up the first page.

"I think this one is talking about before humanity retreated to the Walls but I'm not sure," she gave him a shrug as he reached out and took the paper. His eyes skimmed it and soon his brows were wrinkled.

"This isn't Françoise," he said. "This is Français."

"There's a difference?" Zoë frowned as she peered at the paper, feigning ignorance but still surprised that he knew the difference. "You said the same word twice."

He pressed his lips together disapprovingly. "Françoise is the bastardization of Français mixed with Deutsch and English. Not as garbled as the common tongue but not pure anymore," he told her, his eyes scanning the document again. "Plus they are pronounced totally differently."

Zoë studied him. Once again he had proven to have knowledge that not even people born in Wall Sina would necessarily have. "Can you read it? Françoise?" she questioned eagerly.

"Français, and hush. Shouldn't you be able to read Françoise anyway? You are a Sina girl."

Zoë tapped her foot. "I can to an extent, but you're better at it. Erwin is probably the only other one with a passing fluency in it and I'm not going to disturb him this late at night."

Levi tisked at her. "You wake me up but not him?"

Zoë shrugged before giving him a wicked grin. "But you're so much prettier to look at. Erwin has bedhead this late at night. Plus I liked to hear your thoughts on things. I know Erwin's already. Yours, however, never fail to make me think. Most people think since you can fell a 15 meter Titan without using any gas you are only a killing machine but I know that you have a highly intelligent head on your shoulders. You analyze everything. I've seen the way your eyes dart back and forth while you're thinking about every possible solution to every situation. I know you have a brain up there, hiding. Maybe it's as intelligent as my own."

Somewhere in the middle of her speech Levi had set down the paper and started moving things around on his desk. She watched him in fascination as he rearranged before finally taking out his inkwell. Curiosity got the better of her and she had to ask, "What are you doing?"

"Translating, like you asked," Levi replied as he pulled a clean piece of paper out and smoothed it down. "Isn't this what you wanted, shitty four-eyes?"

Zoë grinned at him. "Tell me what it says."

Levi snorted before slowly reading the paper to her, explaining what was written. He wrote down his translation in the common tongue and somehow Zoë acquired paper and a spare pen. While Levi completed the task of translating, Zoë wrote down her ideas and ended up derailing him several times to explain why he used one word over another. She mostly amused him. Zoë knew this for a fact. It was the type of relationship they had. When Levi had first come to the Scouts they had clashed on every occasion but then, after one mission when only ten Scouts survived they had beaten each other to blood pulps and released their anger against each other. Since then they had a peaceful relationship even when the other annoyed them. Which happened quite often.

She swore to herself that another all-nighter wouldn't affect her but somewhere around dawn Zoë woke with a start and glanced around. She was lying on Levi's bed and the man was nowhere to be found. She wasn't worried though. This was not the first time she had fallen asleep in his room only to wake up in his bed wearing only her underwear and one of his spare shirts. She stretched languidly knowing that Levi wouldn't be back for a while. She heaved her clothes from the pile at the end of the bed and pulled them back on. Levi had the habit of taking her shirt and pants away and washing them when she fell asleep in his room. She had just finished buckling the last leather strap for her 3D gear when he appeared at the door, two steaming mugs in his hands.

She gave him her most brilliant smile as he sat the mug down in front of her and pulled her glasses out of his pocket. She accepted both items with a grateful smile. They sipped their tea in silence, Zoë happy that Levi brewed his tea strong. Only when she was staring at the dregs of her tea did she speak. "Humanity is a strange thing, you know? We fight so hard to survive but we are sabotaging ourselves. There needs to be more children born. Soon we will drive ourselves to extinction. The Titans won't have to do anything."

Levi cocked his head to the side as he listened to her, his long fingers absentmindedly stroking the rim of his cup. "What are you trying to say, shitty-glasses? You want to have a kid?"

Zoë laughed and said, "Only if it's yours."

Levi turned to look at her with narrowed eyes and the reality of what she had just said hit her. She felt her face turn bright red and she ducked her head.

"I don't think that would be wise," Levi said dryly. "We would probably neglect it and be accused of abuse. Or it would be eaten by one of your Titan experiments."

"We wouldn't!" Zoë exclaimed. "I know deep down, buried under thorns and thistles and all that sinew you have a heart and you would love our child with all the fierceness that you use against the Titans. You would be a good dad."

Levi cocked his head again and one side of his mouth turned up. "You're delusional. We're not meant to be parents. We're soldiers, Hange. It is our duty to die bravely for humanity. That is all."

Zoë set down her cup and picked up the papers they had worked on most the night. "I suppose. We aren't going to survive, are we? For the glory of humanity we will die and never get to experience such things. Such basic human needs. I had resigned myself to never experiencing holding my child in my arms but after reading about life before the Titans my heart betrayed me. I want to know what it would be like to have a normal family. But that's silly. Because I am a soldier. It is my duty to fight and die bravely and leave child rearing to someone else." She stood up and turned back to him, her normal silly grin on her face. "Sorry I got emotional. It must be too early in the morning."

Levi pressed his lips together before his hand shot out and grabbed hers. "Shitty-glasses, if this war ever ends and we survive, I wouldn't mind living out the rest of my life with you. And," he closed his eyes but Zoë saw the flash of longing in them, "I wouldn't mind having a family with you. So hurry up and figure out a way to defeat the Titans. So we stop simply surviving and start actually living. So go be brilliant in your lab and I expect you to have discovered the answer before the two of us die."

Zoë swallowed hard and nodded. "I know. My biological clock is ticking. I'm already thirty and my body never fails to remind me that it is fully capable of having a baby. So when this is all done then let's do it. Let's be a family and have babies. And I even promise to let you name them," she teased gently. Levi opened his eyes and a faint grin came to his mouth at the reminder he constantly told her she was a failure at naming things. "Until that day then?"

Levi cupped his chin in his hand. "Until that day," he said softly.

Zoë gave him another one of her smiles before retreating back to her lab. The papers from the night before weighed heavily in her arms and she knew there was something in them that would help her to finally crack the code to defeating the Titans once and for all. Then she could be with Levi and hold her babies in her arms. But until that day neither of them would mention their plans for the future again so when they couldn't come true the bitter disappointment could be concealed that much better.

...

A/N: I believe that everyone in SNK speaks Esperanto or something like that so everyone speaks the same language and that is one less barrier that humanity has to deal with. Which makes the nobles using a different language somewhat pure language from before the Walls to lord over the poor plebeians from knowing what they are saying. Also I was thinking of the Russian nobles of the early Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries who would speak to each other in French so normal people wouldn't be able to understand them. Yeah. Isayama should just tell us what language everyone is speaking already.

I don't even know what I'm doing with my life anymore. Levihan is killing me. My Levihan feels may be even worse than my Royai feels.


End file.
